Winemaker Notes
This Pinot Noir offers aromas of fresh cranberry, red plum, tea leaf, sage and boysenberry linger on the nose. Bright, fresh acidity hits the palate up towards the front. Juicy, modest texture in the mid-palate with delicate tannins.
Vegan
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I love the appellation series from this estate and tasting through them is a great way to learn about the difference in regions on the West Coast. Starting with the 2018 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, it comes from multiple sites and saw 15% stems and 20% new French oak. Its deeper ruby/plum hue gives way to a medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a fresh, nicely structured style as well as terrific notes of black raspberries, strawberries, dried herbs, wood smoke, and earth. It's balanced, has nicely integrated acidity, and is just a smoking good Pinot Noir.
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James Suckling
Spicy oak influence sits across ripe red cherries with a swathe of freshly cut herbs. The palate has very attractive freshness and lithe, juicy appeal. Already lots to like here.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is medium ruby-purple and dark-fruited on the nose, with black cherries and berries accented by forest floor, mushroom, spices and minty touches. The medium-bodied palate offers bright, earth-laced fruits with a grainy frame, good freshness and long finish.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant and snappy, with fresh cherry, black tea and orange peel flavors that pick up speed toward refined tannins.
Home of some of the planet’s most amazingly elegant and expressive Pinot noir, the Willamette Valley is a pastoral, mixed landscape of green, bucolic rolling hills, dramatic forestlands and small, independent, friendly wine growers. As a leader in environmental stewardship, the valley has some of the nation’s most protective land use policies, with two-thirds of its vineyards farmed sustainably and over half, organically. While the valley claims a cool, continental climate, and is heavily influenced by the cold, moist winds of the Pacific Ocean, its warm and dry summers allow for the steady, even ripening of Pinot noir.
The potential of Willamette Valley Pinot noir continues to attract the investment of serious growers and winemakers both locally and from abroad, as naturally the finished wines bring accolades from professionals and enthusiasts. With a range of styles from delicate dried cherry, raspberry and hibiscus to stronger notes of truffle, mocha, plum and spice, a fine Willamette Valley Pinot noir is a perfect expression of both character and grace.